Tastes of Home
by Shadow Wasserson
Summary: Azula has a special treat planned for Zuko. But all is not as it seems...


**Disclaimer**: If I owned Avatar, I would not have kept season 3 from airing so long. So, I don't. Nickelodeon/Viacom does.

**A/N**: Takes place between 'The Crossroads of Destiny' and the comic 'Going Home Again.'

* * *

**Tastes of Home**

As soon as Zuko heard the door to his room open, he knew it was going to be bad news. There were many servants in the Earth Palace, maids and guards and doormen and all manner of various workers who ran about under the notice of more esteemed guests and residents, but none could make the hairs on the back of the fire prince's neck stand up like the 'special servants,' those women with the horribly vacant eyes, all wearing the same uniform and smile and all answering to the same name. Suppressing a shudder, Zuko turned to address her.

"Joo Dee. Is there something wrong?"

Joo Dee smiled. "Not at all, my Prince. The Princess merely requests your presence to dine with her in the hall tonight."

Zuko blinked. "You may tell her that I am… honored… by her invitation, but I would prefer to dine in my room, as I have been doing."

Joo Dee smiled. "Ah, but she insists. It would be unwise, and impolite, to refuse such a generous offer. Shall I tell her that you graciously accept her request?"

Zuko frowned, furrowing his brow. "Fine. Tell her I'll come."

Joo Dee smiled. "I shall be honored to."

_Yes, just leave,_ thought Zuko, watching as the woman softly padded away. What would Azula want with him? She'd said herself that they were waiting for notice from the Fire Lord before making any further moves, maddening as the wait may be. "Father is certain to let you return," she had said. "But it's best to get his permission first, don't you agree?" With nothing to do, Zuko had retreated to his room, one of many opulent quarters reserved for only the highest nobility. The servants brought him anything he asked, and he'd hardly even seen his sister in days. And now she suddenly felt the need for his company at the dinner table? Why couldn't she just make sense, for once?

He knew, of course, in the back of his head, that he was acting childish, but he just didn't want to deal with Azula at that moment. Sighing, Zuko turned back to the scroll he'd been reading. In an effort to be useful, he'd started pouring over the military records kept by the Council of Five, trying to understand where the rest of the Earth Army not stationed at the capital was located. Unfortunately, much as he wanted to help, most of the documents were dead boring. He'd been at it for hours, and he found himself reading the same paragraph over and over, the characters in front of him blurring into an incomprehensible mess.

Zuko rubbed his aching temples and looked out the window. It was a beautiful summer's day in Ba Sing Se, but he'd hardly left the castle since the coup. After so long living on the run, it was a luxury to not have to face the outdoors. Despite all, Azula had given him his creature comforts. She hadn't turned on him the moment the dust had settled, as a part of his heart had feared, but rather sheltered him, reinstated him in a place of power, and written a petition to the Fire Lord in his favor. Maybe… it wouldn't be so bad, to answer her summons. Just this once.

* * *

The Earth Palace banquet hall was nearly empty when Zuko entered, its sumptuous furnishings serving only four other people. Of course, that didn't count the Dai Li, who stood near the walls, still as statues. Azula was there, of course, sitting at the head of the table, and Mai and Ty Lee were sitting across from each other further down. They were expected. More surprising was the man who was sitting to Azula's left and looking distinctly uncomfortable to be in that position.

"What is he doing here?" Zuko asked, glaring at Long Feng, who returned the gesture.

"Don't worry about it," answered Azula smoothly, gesturing to the seat to her right. "Please, sit down."

The prince sat down next to his sister gingerly, as if expecting the chair to attack him. Why was Long Feng sitting next to Azula, in a place of honor? He glanced down and saw to his surprise that the former captain of the Dai Li was still in manacles. Hadn't Uncle once said something like, _keep your friends close… _ He quickly shut down that train of thought. Thinking about his Uncle would only lead to trouble.

"Hey Zuko! Hi! You finally came out of your room, huh? Hey Mai, look, Zuko came out of his room." Mai shrunk away from Ty Lee's gratuitous display of enthusiasm and rolled her eyes at Zuko, who promptly decided to ignore the both of them.

"What is going on? Why did you call me down?" he demanded angrily of his sister.

"Nothing so terrible," the Princess drawled. "I have simply prepared something special for tonight, and I thought you might appreciate it."

Azula gestured towards the servant's entrance, where their servers were beginning to file in. At first, Zuko did not react, not seeing what was so interesting. But when he saw what was on the servant's platters, his mouth fell open.

There, piled high, was a profusion of the Fire Nation's greatest delicacies. Steaming soups and yellow curries, made thick with bright red jolokia peppers and chunks of tender urchin-shrimp. Spiced flatbreads with miso spread and buckwheat noodles in tangy ginger broth. Delicate crimson _kimchi_ and juicy bitter oranges. Stuffed fried flying tuna skins and succulent fish loaves, dyed flamingdove pink. Deep green squid-crabs, contrasting with great bowls of red rice. And there, the centerpiece, so large that two men were needed to carry it in, a whole raw dragon fish, so fresh its heart was still beating.

Zuko stared as the servers placed a small dish in front of him with the seasonings: pickled ginger, salted plum sauce, chili flakes, and an odd, soft-looking green substance that Zuko had not seen since his childhood. "Azula… how did you… is that…?"

"What, the wasabi?" Azula smiled smugly and leaned back. "Oh, it was nothing. Now that the trade embargo has been lifted, it wasn't hard at all." It was not exactly a lie. Zuko simply didn't need to know that the cooks were from the palace itself, or how hard it had been to keep everything fresh, or that she had specifically ordered all of her brother's favorite dishes, and in such quantity they could never eat it all.

"It seems like _forever_ since I've had dragon fish, hasn't it, Mai?" exclaimed Ty Lee, piling her plate high with delectables. "Not since I've left the Fire Nation, at least."

Mai smiled slightly and carefully selected a slice of the dragonfish. "Well, I suppose it _has_ been a while."

Trying to maintain composure, Zuko began mixing the soy sauce with the seasonings as his sister continued. "I am ever so sorry if I made you nervous with my summons. I merely thought that, because we are waiting so long to go home, it would be fair to bring a bit of home to us."

Zuko took a piece of the dragon fish and began to eat, failing to notice that Azula had not stopped staring at him since the food was brought in. She leaned close, too close, and said, almost whispered, in his ear: "Home tastes good, doesn't it?"

Zuko closed his eyes and held the piece of fish in his mouth, the sauce trickling down his throat, the salted and spiced and bitter tastes of home filling his mouth, his mind, his heart.


End file.
